Cutlery Hall-of-Famer’s book showcases the most unique, historic and outlandish blades to enter their treasury.

Probably the most important international buyers of modern American custom knives ever, BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-of-Fame® members Aldo and Edda Lorenzi bought and then sold those knives and many other edged items in their iconic G. Lorenzi retail cutlery store in Milan, Italy.

Located on the Via Montenapoleone in the heart of Milan’s elegant retail sales district, and under Aldo and Edda’s direction, G. Lorenzi sold the finest knives, scissors, razors, table cutlery and assorted other edged wonders from 1959 to 2014, serving customers from every corner of the globe.

If you read BLADE® regularly, you know of the Lorenzis—but mostly only through the eyes of BLADE. In their new book, Shining Blades from the Aldo and Edda Lorenzi Collection, the Lorenzis recall their journeys far and wide in their lifelong search for the finest blades as only they can tell it, from the age of Elvis and crewcuts to the internet era.

Intrepidly scouring Europe, America and elsewhere for cutting tools of all kinds, the Lorenzis chronicle their travels in Shining Blades. From Aldo doubling Edda on their Guzzi Galletto motorbike through the snow and rain in the Alps on their first working trip to Fance in the early 1960s, to their early visits to the knifemaking shops of John Nelson Cooper, Cutlery Hall-of-Famer Bob Loveless and many other of the most famous American makers and beyond, the Lorenzis share their incredible story.

Shining through it all are full-page color images of some of the most spellbinding edged implements you will ever see. In addition to buying them the Lorenzis collected the vintage edged implements along the way. Bronze-Age spoons, folding forks and unbelievable folding knives of the 17th century forward are just some of the visual feasts of the edged art that populate the book’s pages.

For instance, if you think you’ve seen all there is to see in scissors, think again. The images of vintage scissors alone are enough to fill an encyclopedia on the subject. Spectacularly ornate and mystifying in construction, the scissors the Lorenzis amassed over the decades alone will take your breath away.

The preceding simply scratches the surface of what the book is all about. Most of what is illustrated and much more can be seen in the state-of-the-art Aldo and Edda Lorenzi Foundation museum in Milan.

The book also delves into some of the oldest knives known, from the 5,000-year-old knife of Otzi the Iceman discovered in 1991 on the Austrian-Italian border, the finest in European custom knives and knifemakers, ancient books on all things cutlery, notes on damascus steel and much more.

It’s all contained in a top-quality, 9 x 9.75-inch hardbound book with 344 pages that will provide you enjoyment for years to come. It’s a unique history with an MSRP of only $50—a ridiculously low price for such a landmark publication. However, as Edda Lorenzi noted, it’s not about the money so much as the education of worldwide edged tool enthusiasts and the recognition of those who authored some of the most fascinating edged tools extant.

“The book cost us about double its sales price [to produce], more or less,” she began. “Keeping the price low was our choice. It is a choice in line with our Nate Posner Award—to honor the artisans who created the works we loved most and whose names we would like to be known by as many people as possible, and to encourage new generations of artisans who, unlike collectors, certainly do not have large sums of money to invest in expensive books. To achieve this, this choice had to be made!”

If most anyone else had written the preceding paragraph I might be going, “Yeah, right.” But with the Lorenzis, you can rest assured it’s true. If you don’t believe me, ask members of the old guard at knife shows who know of them. If anything, my assessment of Aldo and Edda isn’t laudatory enough.

See Other Hall Of Fame Members:

• HENDRICKSON, IMELS JOIN CUTLERY HALL OF FAME®
• LORENZIS, RUPLE JOIN CUTLERY HALL OF FAME
• CUTLERY HALL OF FAME USHERS IN THOMAS, TERZUOLA AND SCHWARZER
• KEESLAR AND SORNBERGER JOIN CUTLERY HALL OF FAME®